Light, Filling Fish Soups For Hot Weather

July 17, 1986|By Newsday

Sunset, salt air, the rustle and thud of waves hitting a dock. On a summer night, what could be better than a bowl of fish soup fragrant with basil and garlic, a loaf of crusty bread and a bottle of chilled white wine?

All over the world, fishermen make soup from the unsold part of their day's catch, the tiny fish that otherwise would be thrown back, the bony fish not worth filleting, one-clawed lobsters or the odd local species.

These fishermen's soups are quick, because fish is quick-cooking and the soups were invented to be tossed together at the end of the working day.

Of all the fishermen's soups, the most famous is bouillabaisse. It's made all along the southern coast of France, but epicures insist that the only true bouillabaisse comes from Marseilles. There, cooks simmer local fish with onions, tomatoes and olive oil, flavor the broth with saffron, orange peel and fennel, ladle it over crusty bread and enrich it with a fiery mayonnaise called Rouille.

In a casserole, heat the oil and cook the onions and leek until they are soft. Add the garlic, tomatoes, herbs, spices and salt. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in boiling water, bring back to a boil, and add the fish heads and trimmings and cook 20 minutes.

Strain the cooking liquid. Pour back in the casserole and bring back to a boil. Add the potatoes and fish and boil for 15 minutes or until they are tender. Adjust seasoning and serve in wide plates with fried bread rounds and Rouille (recipe follows). Makes 4 servings.

From Mediterranean Cooking by Paula Wolfert.

ANNE WILLAN'S ROUILLE

4 to 6 cloves garlic

2 egg yolks

Salt

1/2 cup olive oil

4 to 6 ounces tomato paste

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste

Put the garlic, egg yolks and a little salt in the food processor. With the motor running, add the oil in a fine stream. Add tomato paste and season to taste with salt and plenty of cayenne; the flavor should be fiery and the color orange-brown.

Makes 6 servings.

From French Regional Cooking.

FISHERMAN'S CHOWDER

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup carrots, diced

1/4 cup celery, diced

3 peeled, seeded, diced tomatoes

1/2 cup diced new potatoes, skins on

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

9 ounces firm-fleshed fish, cut into chunks

4 ounces scallops

1 cup dry white wine

2 1/2 cups water

1 bay leaf, crushed

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried coriander

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper, to taste

1/2 cup chopped parsley

In a large pot, soften the vegetables and garlic in the oil but do not brown them. Add the fish, wine and water, bring to a boil, add the bay, basil, coriander, salt and pepper and simmer 25 minutes. Add parsley, bring up to the boil and serve.